31 for 21: Day 9 The Many Benefits of Baby Sign Language

 

More and more parents are discovering the many benefits of baby sign language, including the simple fact that it’s fun! It is so cute watching your little one communicate with those chubby little hands! But there’s a practical side to baby sign too!
Studies show that baby sign language helps with speech development. Signing toddlers learn to speak sooner, and develop larger vocabularies than non-signing toddlers. They’ve also been shown to have higher reading levels once they learn to read. One study even suggested that baby sign language can increase a baby’s IQ!
As we know, many children with Down syndrome have speech delays. They can often understand us perfectly, but don’t yet have the ability to speak to us. This can cause enormous frustration for any child! Sign language can help alleviate this frustration, which, of course, makes life easier for everyone in the family, especially the signing child!
So, signing can make for a happier child. It can also help build a child’s confidence. Many children become more comfortable with social interactions once they learn a few signs. Signing can empower them!
Children with Down syndrome are very often visual learners, and they can take very quickly to sign language. For many children, signing seems to come naturally to them. (Of course, this is after they see their parents sign something a hundred times!) Children will naturally gesture to communicate. Sign language just helps everyone understand these gestures!
And getting started is easier than you might think. First of all, use us at BabySignLanguage.com. We are free. Our site offers instructional videos, a sign language dictionary (based on American Sign Language), printable flash cards, and a printable wall chart. Everything is free. We are here to help. And we hope to create a community that allows parents to help one another, so ask your questions, share your tips, and offer your support!
We recommend starting slow. Depending on the age of your child when you begin, you might want to start with one to five signs. Learn these signs yourself (it’s easier than you think), and then use these signs every time you say the corresponding word. So, every time you say the word “book,” make the sign for book. It won’t take long for your child to associate your gesture with its meaning. Then, you will likely see your child imitate your gesture when you make it. And eventually, your child will use this gesture spontaneously to communicate the idea of “book”!
Just remember to always tie the spoken word to the sign. While it can be tempting to just use the sign independently, remember that speech is our end goal, so be sure to encourage vocalizations as well as signing. (Though if you’re tempted to sign “Stop!” in church, go ahead – it’s a great trick!)
This article was provided by babysignlanguage.com a website featuring
digital resources including a baby sign language dictionary, baby sign
language flash cards, and baby sign language wall chart 100% free.

Found this on another blog and found it really good so thought I would share bc we do use sign language with Avery.

Avery update

It has been a really long time since I have did an update on Avery so I decided it was time for one:)  First off she has pretty much healed from her accident..I don't really ever see it bothering her anymore..so that’s good!!!:) The whole school issue that i was having well I decided to just do the speech therapy this year and really just work with her to get her ready for school next year..So she is now getting speech twice a week once in home and then the other I take her to the school for an hour. Both the speech therapist have talked to each other and are both on the same page so that is really nice…and I have seen a bigger difference since she has started both..she has been in full swing for about a month now. She loves the school the speech therapist said that every time they walk by the lunch room she just starts signing  eat as fast as she can..haha!!!! Also they had her tested at the end of August its a psycho educational evaluation report and she actually did really good..she didn't really want to cooperate with the people that were giving her the test so i was figuring her numbers were going to be really low..She didn't want to point to pictures for them which i know she can point to objects like if she was shown to cards a picture of a doll and a picture of a ball and was asked to point to the ball..she wouldnt do it..Little stinker..back to the whole she will only do it if SHE wants too!! She's my little spitfire that is for sure!!   So anyways her results were verbal IQ 58 (out of 100) performance IQ 57 (out of 100) she wouldn't do anything with the blocks which she can stack many and copy patterns but she just wouldn't do it or do anything with puzzles which she usually does awesome at..Full scale IQ 50 (out of 100) which put her at a 75 for standard score which age equivalent is 2 yrs 10 months..Her adaptive behavior puts her at 72 which is borderline..3rd percentile..I'm hoping that next year when it comes time to testing again that she will do much better bc she will know the speech therapist in there bc she will have been with her all year..
Avery still is continuing OT too at home..once a week.. We are focusing on getting her ready for school..she is doing really well. She has the pincher grasp down which is really good and we have been working on scissors using the loop scissors..she doesn't do well with the regular ones at all so I ordered her some loop ones and does a lot better with them..

They are working on other things too that she needs help on too..but so far the in home OT is going really good for us!! I'm pretty pleased!
Avery has had a check up with her ENT dr this month too..and we are repeating the sleep study tonight actually to see if she still has her sleep apnea. We took her tonsils out in hopes that it would help with the sleep apnea so we are praying that it worked bc I really don't want to monkey with a cpap machine every night. bc if she still has it then that is what its going to be:(  So we will see..I'm not really looking forward to the sleep study the last one I didn't get any sleep at all but Im just thankful that the girls don’t have school tomorrow so I don't have to deal with all of that in the morning..   Just the thought of someone watching me while I sleep well how is anyone suppose to sleep in those conditions..hehe!!!  Ill keep you all posted when I know something:) 
Avery also went back to Dr. Dy-Go the special needs Dr./nutritionist.. and she figured she was doing pretty good..but might be slowly approaching the overweight side on the chart..Do I think Avery is overweight??? NO  but its just something to keep an eye on..so she doesn't get to that point bc its easier to manage now then when she gets to be overweight!!!  Dr Dy-Go has been really awesome to us..and I was really sad to hear that they might be cutting her funds and her program bc there is no funds..just one more thing to cut from us!!  She has helped us out a lot and I hope that they can get it figured out so she dont have to quit helping so many families!!! 
Avery is still now where close to potty training:(  Insert a BIG sad face!!!! But we will keep trying!!!  She is signing so much more..I would say that she signs at least 50 –75 signs..She is picking up more and more everyday..she is really good at that..just the other day she was sitting at the counter and her signing times DVD was playing in the living room and they were going over the letters..and she just started randomingly doing the letters and she was right on all of them..she didn't do them all but the ones that she did do I was so shocked..we have been working on counting too and she is doing really well with that too..she tries to copy you..we count every time we walk up and down the stairs.. I also made her a picture book this past weekend (Vistaprint had 4x6 books for free up to 20 pages) so  I took advantage of that;)  and here are a few samples of what I did..It should help with her speech..she loves to look at books so I figured why not make her a book of familiar things to get her to verbally say them..Anyways it was alot of fun so  I think I see lots more picture books in my future..I want to do a ABC one and 123 at least..so we will see!!!
 


I will stop!!!  I know you get the picture right:)) 
I think that pretty much sums it up..lol!!!!  Writing it all out like this helps me remember too.. I use this as my journal too;) so if I need to look back on something I can too!!!   Wish me luck at the sleep study tonight..

3 yr Check Ups!!

This month has been crazy with doctor check ups for Avery.  We went to her regular pediatrician, hearing check up, eyes check up, and the special needs/nutritionist doctor.  Next week its the ENT.  Wow..its been crazy..She has to go to most of them every 6 months so they all fall in the same month I'm not sure why I do this to myself but I guess then its all over for another 6 months right;).
So as far as her hearing goes she is doing awesome!!!  Her eyes are still doing great but we have went down a little there..he said that she was just on the border for nearsightness..but that you can stay there for a very long time too so i guess we will just have to keep an eye on it..For her regular doctor just very basic just gave me orders for all of her blood work…complete cbc (white blood count), thyroid, Celiac disease, diabetes, and i think one other thing and then that might be all;). Poor girl..I always hate doing all of the blood work I get all uptight and worried until I get the clear that everything is good..She now weighs 30lbs..cant believe that..we were once fighting to get her to gain so much weight do you guys all remember then..at ten months she as ten pounds...and now she is at 30lbs..so I brought up to him about doing a sleep study..I just think she might have sleep apnea a little..so we will see..he said to bring it up to the ENT doctor..so that is what ill do I guess..On to the special needs/nutritionist she was VERY thorough as she always is that’s why i like going to her..I had taken her of off her prevacid (for her acid reflux per her GI doctor)  and well after her still spitting up and her having mucus from her nose constantly, and maybe even her sleep problems  it all goes back to her acid reflux..so we are putting her back on prevacid for now..and she even put her on some allergy medicine bc after looking in her nose she said that it might look allergy/pollen related..well who wouldn't have problems with all the pollen we have been having..its HORRIBLE!!! So between the two we can hopefully knock the runny icky buggy nose all the time..I did notice it got worse after we took her off of prevacid but never put two and two together until now..she also has a razzle in her lungs that we cant get rid of either..lets see what else did she say..oh yes to watch her weight now;)  so in the beginning we were pushing extra calories and now we are watching calories..hehe!!  and to make sure she gets lots of good exercise..oh trust me she is getting exercise the girl never stops except when she sleeps!!!  She also told us to get a referral to a developmental pediatrics in Greenville..(I'm thinking are you kidding me I get to add another dr to my list) What for you ask???  To help tailor her education plans I guess..and since there is a 6 month waiting list then to go ahead and get the referral now;)  I don't even want to start to think about her going to school yet!!  I did have the school call me since she is three now and see if she was going to go to school..but I said no not yet..bc I dont want her going to school everyday right now..just a personal choice!!  But the special needs dr said that i could maybe get her into the school for the deaf and blind for a couple hours like maybe two to three times a week so we might look into that..why u ask?? well bc her speech is soooooooo delayed!!!!! 
So how is she doing in her therapies???  Well in physical she is doing awesome she isn't even getting physical therapy right now bc of lack of therapist..but I don't mind bc what she cant do she seems to find her own way of doing it..and Occupational therapy is still working with her to strengthen her trunk muscles..So for Occupational we are just working on getting her ready for school..writing, cutting, small pincher grasp things like that..and for Speech well basically just to get her to talk more..the girl hardly talks words at all.She babbles all day long but nothing that anyone can understand. She understands ALOT but cant verbally talk what she wants..so we have really been doing the sign language to help with the frustration and it is actually helping her talk too.. For instance…we were eating supper one night and she wanted ketchup but we didn't know what in the world she wanted and after about five minutes and a total break down we finally figured out that she wanted ketchup..so the next time her occupational therapist came i asked her what ketchup is( i knew she would know bc her husband is deaf) so the next time at supper when ketchup was involved..and she was wanting more..i signed ketchup and said ketchup at the same time…so what does miss Avery do..she signs ketchup and try's to say it at the same time..so it got her to say ketchup!!  yeah we have one word that we know:))  That girl is so quick to pick up signs too..she got a bunch of signing time dvds for her birthday (Signing times are dvds that are  very catchy and easy to learn signs geared at kids but VERY, VERY  expensive I might add) and she picked up on the signs for signing time so the girl comes to me and does signing time signs when she wants to watch it and actually try's to say it too..which is impressive bc it is two words together and that does not happen!!  After reading someone else’s blog I am going to be looking up and researching speech apraxia to see if that is what Avery has…hmmm..we will see what kind of rabbit trail it leads me on..


Well that was way to long!!!!  That pretty much much sums up what I've been up to lately..just helping the doctors take home that pay check!!!:) Here’s a short video of Avery doing signing times.  Don’t mind me either;)  She does do a couple of signs play (two hands shake with thumb and pinky out) , and time.. (where she is hitting her hand) Sorry that this is sideways I could not for the life of me figure out how to turn it around the right way!!  If anyone knows how please let me know!!! Thanks;)